Chemical Strategies for the Cleavage of the C(sp3)−F Bonds in Perfluoroalkyl Groups

Abstract

Perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) have been recognized as environmental pollutants. Hence, their efficient and mild destruction is a significant research interest. While many research articles and review papers have reported the cleavage of the C(sp2)−F bonds, single C(sp3)−F bond, and CF3 groups in PFAS, in this study, limited and emerging examples of a longer perfluoroalkyl group containing at least one repeating unit of 1,1,2,2-tetrafluoroethylene was focused. In this Concept, we summarized recent progress on the chemical defluorination of PFAS via the cleavage of unactivated C(sp3)−F bonds in longer perfluoroalkyl groups under mild conditions (~150 °C). In addition to classical reductive defluorination, strategies featuring Lewis acid activation and the transient generation of an unsaturated bond were described.